OT - Taste Buds?

Has anyone had the weird experience of, either after an illness or accident
their taste buds seem to malfunction? *Everything* seems to taste like
cardboard or sawdust - even things that are usually strongly flavored taste
like clay. If this has happened to you, what did it take to get back your
natural tastes (or does it go away by itself)?

--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See all our masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped

See the RPCA FAQ site, by Mark Edwards, at:
http://www.professional-geek.com/rpcablog/

On Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:16:07 -0600, "CatNipped"
wrote:

Has anyone had the weird experience of, either after an illness or accident
their taste buds seem to malfunction? *Everything* seems to taste like
cardboard or sawdust - even things that are usually strongly flavored taste
like clay. If this has happened to you, what did it take to get back your
natural tastes (or does it go away by itself)?

Sadly, yes I have experiences this. Once, everything tasted like
rubbing alcohol - yuck! I am having tastebud issues, including
inflammation now after my surgery - which was pretty much successful,
not a 100% but I'll take what I got.

In my experience, with the tastebuds, it eventually went away by
itself.

Sophia

On Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:16:07 -0600, CatNipped wrote:

Has anyone had the weird experience of, either after an illness or
accident their taste buds seem to malfunction? *Everything* seems to
taste like cardboard or sawdust - even things that are usually strongly
flavored taste like clay. If this has happened to you, what did it take
to get back your natural tastes (or does it go away by itself)?

My experience is that it comes back by itself. It sounds like your sense
of smell isn't working properly, probably due to congestion. The taste
buds actually have a much more limited range of flavors they can detect,
compared to the number of different scents you can smell. Also, if you
have been taking a strong-flavored medicine, or had an infection that
produced an unpleasant scent or smell, those tend to overpower the more-
subtle flavors and smells while they are present.

--
John F. Eldredge --
"Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly
is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria

"CatNipped" wrote in
:

Has anyone had the weird experience of, either after an illness or
accident their taste buds seem to malfunction? *Everything* seems to
taste like cardboard or sawdust - even things that are usually
strongly flavored taste like clay. If this has happened to you, what
did it take to get back your natural tastes (or does it go away by
itself)?


When my mother gets very sick, she won't eat anything because everything
tastes horrible. Not even her favourite foods. When she's better, she's
back to normal. I, on the other hand, never get to save on calories!

Bobble

I had major abdominal surgery a few years ago, and it was a year
before I could drink tea again. It tasted revolting and I felt sick
after trying it. I suspect it was the anaesthetic that affected my
sense of smell.

Thankfully, the problem has cleared now.

Jeanette

"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
On Tue 16 Nov 2010 05:16:07p, CatNipped wrote in
rec.pets.cats.anecdotes :

Has anyone had the weird experience of, either after an illness
or accident their taste buds seem to malfunction? *Everything*
seems to taste like cardboard or sawdust - even things that are
usually strongly flavored taste like clay. If this has happened
to you, what did it take to get back your natural tastes (or
does it go away by itself)?


I went through that recently after I had surgery to remove bone
spurs in one of my feet. After the surgery I didn't want to eat
anything and when I did, it didn't taste good. I was on pain
killers (vicodin) but not for long, and at first I attributed the
lack of wanting to eat to the drug. Even when I stopped taking the
narcotics, it took a while to get back on track. I am not nearly
as in need to eat as you are, but I can say that eventually the
appetite came back. Funny, I posted about this in rec.food.cooking
after my surgery in July. I actually lost about 15 pounds during
my surgery recovery. I was thrilled. You're not and you need to
eat.

If you're on drugs, it could be the reason for the lack of
appetite.

I'm taking some *very heavy* narcotics for my RSD, but I have been for over
2 years now. It could have been the heart attack that was the trigger for
it because it started to be a problem during and since my hospitalization.
That reminds me - it was also when I started taking the extra meds for my
heart, Carvedilol and Lisinopril. I definitely have a *lot* to talk to my
doctor about.

You're right about me not being able to afford to lose any more weight - my
BMI is *15* (normal *low* is 18)!!!


--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See all our masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped

See the RPCA FAQ site, by Mark Edwards, at:
http://www.professional-geek.com/rpcablog/


Speaking of health, I have had a cold I can't shake for a couple of
weeks and just had my BP checked again, and for the second time
this year my BP is high. In all of my 47 years I've never had high
BP. But 2 high readings months apart must now tell me I have high
BP now. Got a Dr appt Monday to figure this out.

But back to you, if you can't eat much, try to conserve your energy
because all of your calories are going to be needed to help you
recover.

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
Has anyone had the weird experience of, either after an illness or
accident their taste buds seem to malfunction? *Everything* seems to
taste like cardboard or sawdust - even things that are usually strongly
flavored taste like clay. If this has happened to you, what did it take
to get back your natural tastes (or does it go away by itself)?

--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See all our masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped

See the RPCA FAQ site, by Mark Edwards, at:
http://www.professional-geek.com/rpcablog/



Are you taking anything that contains zinc (medications, even cough drops)?
There have been a number of reports that zinc can cause problems with taste.
You may find some of the information at this site helpful. One thing it
mentions is that yogurt with live cultures may be helpful if the cause is
fungal overgrowth due to recent use of antibiotics. Above all, I would
think that a call to your doctor is in order.
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/...ntid=100136097

You might also need to consult a dentist. This site refers to the
possibility of sinus infection or a cavity or tooth that is undergoing the
process of rotting or dying (which can occur even with no pain).
http://caloriecount.about.com/bad-taste-mouth-ft121174

This site mentions a relationship between some medications (Lunesta, in this
case) and a foul taste.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/opinions/6515/4#thread

MaryL

Thank you! At least two of those are definite possibilities. I didn't of
my teeth as being a possible cause even though my teeth are all bad (the
narcotics make you have dry-mouth and that causes decay at the gum line).

--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See all our masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped

See the RPCA FAQ site, by Mark Edwards, at:
http://www.professional-geek.com/rpcablog/

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
...

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
Has anyone had the weird experience of, either after an illness or
accident their taste buds seem to malfunction? *Everything* seems to
taste like cardboard or sawdust - even things that are usually strongly
flavored taste like clay. If this has happened to you, what did it take
to get back your natural tastes (or does it go away by itself)?

--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See all our masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped

See the RPCA FAQ site, by Mark Edwards, at:
http://www.professional-geek.com/rpcablog/



Are you taking anything that contains zinc (medications, even cough
drops)? There have been a number of reports that zinc can cause problems
with taste. You may find some of the information at this site helpful.
One thing it mentions is that yogurt with live cultures may be helpful if
the cause is fungal overgrowth due to recent use of antibiotics. Above
all, I would think that a call to your doctor is in order.
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/...ntid=100136097

You might also need to consult a dentist. This site refers to the
possibility of sinus infection or a cavity or tooth that is undergoing the
process of rotting or dying (which can occur even with no pain).
http://caloriecount.about.com/bad-taste-mouth-ft121174

This site mentions a relationship between some medications (Lunesta, in
this case) and a foul taste.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/opinions/6515/4#thread

MaryL

On Nov 16, 10:16*pm, "CatNipped" wrote:
Has anyone had the weird experience of, either after an illness or accident
their taste buds seem to malfunction?

A few years ago after a bad cold everything fried smelt and tasted
vile to me for about a year- it gradually faded but to this day I am
even less keen on fried food than I was before it happened

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs